Daughter of the Bat
by PinkRae
Summary: 11 years ago, running from her demonic father, Raven ran into and was taken in by the young businessman Bruce Wayne. A lot has changed since then. She lives a happy life, but her dark secret keeps haunting her. Will her 18th birthday be the end of everything she's come to know?
1. Midnight

Darkness stretched across the room, dispersed only by the dim light at the desk. Silence filled the place, broken only by the quiet scribbling of a pencil against the paper or turning of a page in the book. The clocks seemed to be moving slower with every passing minute. But she knew. She didn't even need to check the time to know that it had hit _midnight_. The air around her became denser, a breath stuck in her throat. The scribbling stopped for a second as she raised her head to take a look around.

She knew full well that she was alone. The librarian had left hours ago. But he'd just left the key to Raven, as usual. Perks of being the leader of the book club and a regular at the library, she supposed. And yet… The shadows warped around her, drawing closer, wanting to embrace her in their cold grasp. She released a shaky sigh, her grip tightening on the pencil. November 2nd. All souls' day. Her _birthday_.

There was no other day in the whole year she hated more than this one. And although she always made sure everyone knew this, no one truly understood it. How could they? If they knew the whole truth about her, first of all, they wouldn't even believe her. Bruce had been the only one kind enough to hear her out and not call her a lunatic, but she was sure not even he quite understood what she meant. And she hadn't really bothered convincing Dick either. Not after their first conversation…

* * *

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

The door opened and Bruce entered, followed by a young boy and Alfred with a bag in his hand. Hidden from everyone's sight, her blue eyes watched their every movement with growing curiosity. It was the same boy she'd seen at the circus that day. That tragedy… The shock, the sadness, the grief that washed over her from every corner of the place. But his was the most prominent one. She'd _felt_ how his entire life had just fallen apart. It had been almost too much for her to take. And now the boy was here still carrying all that pain in himself. She didn't quite understand why, but she knew Bruce was doing what he felt was the right thing to do.

Although the two of them seemed to be about the same age, saying they weren't close was an understatement. They both kept to themselves a lot. Raven was a very quiet and private person to begin with and Dick just… had a lot going on with him already. And it stayed like that for a long time, with only quick conversations here and there. Most of these conversations happened at nights when neither of them could really sleep. Though Dick never knew the reason why she couldn't sleep was actually him. Or rather, his emotions. So they just happened to hang around in the kitchen munching on Alfred's cookies that he tried so hard to hide.

"So, Raven," he spoke up, dipping a cookie in the milk, "I never thought to ask."

"Ask what?" She gave him a quick glance, busy with her own cookie.

"You're Bruce's daughter, right?" He'd opened his mouth to continue with a question about her mother, but Raven interrupted him.

"No."

"What do you mean, no? Aren't you Raven Wayne?"

"I am." She nodded slowly and looked at him. "But he… took me in. Just like you."

"So he adopted you. Then… you're an orphan, too?"

"I… I guess?" Truth to be told, she didn't quite know what that word meant.

"You guess?" He could see it in her eyes that she didn't really understand what he was asking her about, so he decided to rephrase it. "Are your parents dead? Like mine?"

"Oh. No." This answer confused Dick.

"So why are you here then?"

"I just… ended up here and they didn't, I guess." Raven now felt a little like she was being interrogated and grew slightly uncomfortable, although she felt nothing but genuine curiosity from him.

"How- Where _are_ they then?"

"They're… far away." Her features grew sadder as she decided she was done with the cookies.

"Where?" He pushed, his eyes following her as she went to go wash her glass, waiting for her to respond.

"Azarath." She finally responded.

"Where is _that_?" He blinked, having never heard of the name. Just by the name of it, it did sound like a very far off place though.

"A different dimension." She turned to look at him with complete seriousness and confidence in her eyes. But it only made him laugh out in disbelief.

"A different _dimension_? There is no such thing."

"There is. You can get to Azarath only through a portal with a magic spell. That's where my mother is. And my father is in another dimension behind the Great Door of Azarath."

Dick truly didn't know what to make of this all. She seemed so convinced in the truth of her words, he didn't know whether to believe her or not. And for the longest time, he didn't know what to even say to this all. But eventually he decided to be logical about it and write it off as fantasy.

"You're just making stuff up." He scowled at her. "If you didn't want to tell me the truth, you should've just said so."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

* * *

"The curfew is at 9 pm, you know." A voice suddenly snapped her out of her thoughts and she jerked back in her chair, instantly looking behind herself.

"Dick..!" She gasped and took a moment to regain her breath. "D-don't scare me like that."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to." He looked at her apologetically and took a seat opposite of her, holding his hands under the table.

"I'd ask you how you knew I'd be here, but-"

"You're always here." He grinned and she nodded with a small chuckle. "I have something-"

"Dick." She knew where this was going and felt the need to stop him. But he was having none of it.

"It's nothing much." He smiled at her and pulled a small box that he'd been holding in his hand from under the desk, sliding it across the surface closer to her. "I know birthdays have never been your thing, but… It's your _18th _birthday, Rae, I couldn't _not_ get you anything."

A part of her wanted to argue with him. But in her family, it was never any use. If, when it came to friends, she could hide her date of birth, there was no escaping family. And although Bruce, Alfred and Dick respected her wish to not celebrate it without completely understanding it, they'd never gone a year without getting her a present of _some_ kind. So she really had no other choice but to accept it. As long as no one had the idea to throw her a party, she guessed it was all good.

"I know. I appreciate it." She smiled, glancing down at the small box before returning her gaze to him. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." He let a shrug roll off his shoulder and held a moment of silence, thinking over his next words before speaking them. "You know, I've never really understood _why_ you don't like to celebrate your own birthday."

"No one ever has." She replied simply with a hint of sadness in her voice. "But I suppose no one but me _has_ to."

"But if someone _wanted _to?"

"Like who?"

"Like me." His straightforward answer surprised her and it really showed in her face. She blinked and opened her mouth to say something, but her mind was blank. So Dick decided to elaborate.

"Rae, we've practically grown up together. We've known each other for _years_. And yet… You have to agree that we've never really been close. There's still so much I don't know about you."

He wasn't wrong. Raven had always kept her distance, no matter what. It wasn't that she found it hard to trust people. Thanks to her empathic abilities she could determine if a person had a malicious intent or if their heart wasn't pure. It was more… a fear of being misunderstood. There were so many things this world didn't understand or know about. And if she were to flaunt her powers, people would fear her. Just like they did back then in the orphanage where Bruce had taken her after he'd found her on the streets. Everyone there was afraid of her after… an incident. And that was the last thing she wanted in her adult life. It was for the best to just be… normal.

"There's still so much you wouldn't _understand_ about me." She spoke softly, tilting her head to the side.

"I could _try_ to. If you let me." He was determined, she had to give him that. And it was the first time in forever when he'd pushed this question. She wondered why, all of a sudden, he returned to it. But as he said it, they'd spent years under the same roof and barely knew about their lives before Bruce took them in. Although Dick had been more open about his. He'd shared some bits and pieces here and there, partly hoping she'd do the same. But that day never came. And for him, it felt like she didn't trust him. Which wasn't true. So maybe-

"Perhaps not tonight." She sighed softly, looking at the time on her phone.

"I'm not saying you have to do it straight away. But… Maybe someday."

"Someday." She gave him a small smile and nodded, taking him aback by surprise. To be honest, he hadn't expected a positive outcome from this conversation. But he was glad. _Someday_ definitely sounded better than _never_. And that was all he could ask for.

"Great. Well"- he stood up from his seat- "I'll leave you to it. Don't stay up too long."

"I can't promise _that_." She grinned. A chuckle escaped him as he made his way out of the library.


	2. Into the flames

"_**Raven…"**_ A voice echoed into nothingness. She walked slowly through a place that was nothing but darkness. Only her footsteps and this faint voice could be heard. It felt eerie, yet… strangely comforting. The shadows welcomed her. They always did.

"Where am I…?" Confused eyes looked around as she whispered to herself. Suddenly feeling a breath behind her, the girl turned around and she was standing before a giant door. The entire scenery changed. Bright whites replaced the darkness, her school uniform changed into white robes, the sun was shining and birds were chirping somewhere in the distance.

"Azarath…" She gasped softly, taking a look around. It had been _years_ since she'd last seen it, but she recognized it in an instant. She'd dreamt about it for the longest time after landing on Earth, keeping it alive in her mind and soul, but the dreams became less frequent as she grew older and the memories of the place had slowly faded. Now that she was standing here, however, it felt like she'd never left it.

"_**Come… My child…"**_ But the voice didn't let her reminisce for much longer. Turning her head back to the door, she couldn't help but frown. She knew _exactly_ what this door was and who was behind it.

"Can you give it up already?" Raven rolled her eyes. "You are _not_ getting out of there. _Trigon_."

"_**Oh, but I am, my dear daughter."**_

"Don't call me that. I am anything _but_ your daughter." She squinted her eyes, but only received a laugh from him in response. Of course _he_ would find this amusing.

"_**You've grown quite valiant since the last time we spoke. Do you remember? How you trembled in fear? How you ran away thinking you can hide from me? Oh, you were such a weak little thing." **_He taunted and she could practically feel the smug grin on his face.

"What do you want, Trigon…?" Raven felt compelled to ask, even if she knew what the answer was.

"_**You and I both know this very well, child." **_He growled and the door cracked open just an inch. "_**My answer hasn't changed."**_

"What?" Her eyes widened and her heart dropped, seeing that he was able to push the door open from the other side, even if it was just a little bit. "No! I will not let you!" She exclaimed and pressed her hands against the door, trying to close them again but in a quick flash, the door sprung open completely, throwing her backwards.

Flames shot out from the other side, engulfing everything around her in just a matter of seconds. Horrified, she looked all around and all she could see was everything burning. Everything was on fire; the trees, the buildings, the _people_ who were desperately trying to save themselves. The screams echoed in her mind and she felt absolutely _helpless_.

Her body had frozen in place, no matter how much she wanted to rush towards them and help them. She tried to get up on her feet, but no matter how many times she tried, her body just glued itself back to the ground. Her legs and arms were weak, her chest heavy, weighed down by _despair _and _guilt_. The smoke slowly filled her lungs until it became hard to breathe and the heat stung in her eyes, her vision seemed to become blurry. Everything and nothing happened all at once. The screams got quieter and more distant. It was certain - she was losing consciousness. Only heavy thuds in her chest indicated to her that she was still alive. Then… A voice snapped her out of this state of shock.

"R-raven…" A weak voice drew Raven's attention to a woman with burned clothes and soot all over her body, slowly stumbling towards her.

"M-mother!" She gasped and finally her body found the strength to rush over to the woman catching her in a tight embrace as the other almost fell to the ground. "Mother…" Holding the woman in her arms, she sat down on her knees and tried to brush some of the soot off her face with the sleeve of her white robe.

It felt so strange, she hadn't seen Arella since she was seven and yet, she recognized her instantly. Even if they hadn't been allowed to be as close as a mother and a daughter should be, Raven used to cherish the times they _did_ get to spend together. And even if some memories had faded over time, the face of her mother had stayed vivid in her mind.

"Raven… Why did you-" Arella slowly reached her hand up to cup the side of her daughter's face, eyes filled with tears.

"It's fine, mother." She spoke softly and placed her own hand on top of her mothers, offering comfort. "Save your strength. We'll get you-"

"Why did you have to open the door?" But Raven didn't manage to finish her sentence before these words cut her like a knife.

"What- I didn't-" She was left speechless. Had _she _really been the one to open the door? Was this destruction all because of her? Because of her _one_ mistake? Her _childish_ curiosity? A sudden weight dropped on her shoulders, her gaze grew distant and the image of her mother in her arms slowly faded away as her eyes filled with tears. It couldn't be… It couldn't be her fault…

"Trigon-!" With a sharp turn, Raven looked over her shoulder only to see a burning Wayne manor behind her and a new fear washed over her. "Bruce!" She gasped and rushed up to her feet. "Alfred!" Her body was moving on its own now, running towards her home, but getting stopped by the blaze. "Dick!"

"_**You can't save them…"**_

"Yes, I can!" She argued, pushing through the flames. Her body was able to move this time. She _could_ save her family this time. But… All her hopes were shattered the very moment she stepped into the manor and saw three burning bodies.

"No!" Raven exclaimed in utter pain and covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face. She was too late. Even when she tried, when she did her best, she still couldn't save the people she cared about.

"_YoU'rE a FaiLuRE, RaVeN_." Suddenly Bruce's burning body spoke to her in a distorted voice, snapping her out of her thoughts and bringing horror to her face.

"_YoU BrOugHt ThIS uPoN uS_." Alfred also spoke, his neck cracking as he turned his head to look at her with his hollow eyes.

"_YoU CoUlDN't EvEn SaVe uS!_" Then Dick also turned to her and the three of them slowly stumbled closer to her like zombies on fire. Horrified, Raven couldn't help but to run away.

And as soon as she stepped outside the manor she found herself standing on a rooftop in Gotham. The entire city was red with flames. Car alarms going off, electrical cables sparking as lamp posts and trees fell over them and again - people running around in absolute terror and screaming. _Everything_ was getting devoured by flames and once again Raven stood there completely helpless.

"_**You brought this onto them, Raven."**_

"No… N-no, I didn't… I didn't mean to…"

"_**It doesn't matter if you did or didn't. This is your future. Your destiny."**_

"Screw destiny!" She frowned and turned around to find Trigon sitting in his throne in hell, surrounded by flames and lesser demons as his servants. And just as she imagined, he wore a smug grin on his face, amused by her resilience.

"_**We shall meet soon, my daughter."**_

"What-?"

_GASP._

Her eyes shot up with a heavy breath, cold sweat glistening on her forehead. She was gasping for air like she'd just finished running a marathon, her entire body was shaking. But… She was back at the library. The dim light still on, however, the first rays of sunshine were breaking through the blinds already. After getting a grip on her surroundings, she finally checked the time.

_7:33 am._

Damn, she'd fallen asleep right then and there.

"That's gonna be a pain in the neck…" Raven sighed and rubbed the back of her neck when she noticed that there was a jacket on her shoulders. "Huh?" She took a look at the jacket, trying to figure out who it belonged to. Had Dick come back and seeing her asleep didn't want to wake her up? No, it didn't sound like him.

"Oh, you're awake." A voice suddenly appeared from behind a bookshelf before the young man himself emerged. "Hope I wasn't the one to wake you."

"Sebastian?" She blinked in surprise, but soon realized that he was the _last_ person to be surprised about being in the library at such an early hour. "No, no, you didn't. Sorry. I didn't mean to stay here all night."

"Raven, _please_. We both know it's not the first time. And probably won't be the last before the school year ends." Sebastian chuckled and offered her a warm smile. "Coffee?"

"Yes, _please_."


	3. Blood

"Thank you." Raven smiled at Sebastian as he placed a cup of hot coffee in front of her.

"It's not often that you drink coffee." He smiled back at her and took a seat next to her with his own cup.

"It's not often that I fall asleep in the library and sleep on a desk." They both let out a small laugh and held a moment of silence before he spoke up again.

"So- Your birthday, huh?"

"Please, don't-"

"I wasn't gonna!" He raised his hands up in defense, knowing all too well about her dislike towards this specific day. "I was just wondering if you're skipping classes today."

"Oh." Raven seemed a bit surprised for a second, but was grateful he didn't go in the direction she thought he was. Sebastian had always been very thoughtful towards her. "Yes. I arranged it with the headmaster."

"Does he ever get suspicious that you _always_ take a day off exactly on your birthday?"

"Well, not really, no. I try to take a few days off throughout the school year, so it doesn't seem _too _suspicious." She explained with a small shrug. "He can't keep track of everybody taking sick leaves and whatnot, so I suppose he's just never truly noticed it."

"Huh. Clever." Sebastian smiled and took a sip of his coffee. "What about the students then?"

"I'm the quiet weirdo girl with little to no friends and who no one pays attention to, Sebastian. I don't think many _ever_ notice I'm gone."

"Well"- his features softened as he looked at her- "if you were in my class, _I'd_ notice you were gone."

This sentence completely took her by surprise. If she'd been taking a sip of her coffee right now, she was sure she would've choked on it out of sheer shock of what had just came out of his mouth. Her blue eyes widened and her cheeks were suddenly _burning_ as she stared at him with absolutely no idea how to respond to something like _that_. Well, it wasn't exactly the first time he'd made a flirtatious comment towards her, but they were always made with humour or followed up by a joke. But not this time. His face stayed as serious as it was. So the only thing she could think of in the spur of the moment was for _her_ to downplay it as a joke.

"In my _class_, pfft. You're not even in my _year_." She gently nudged him with an elbow, trying to hide her embarrassment behind a chuckle.

"Hey! I'm only a few years older than you." He gave her a cheeky smile.

"Which makes you wonder, doesn't it?"

"About what?"

"About why a young guy such as yourself would _ever_ willingly come back to work in a high school almost right after graduating."

"Well…" Sebastian sighed softly and thought for a moment. "I mean, I knew I didn't want to go to college after high school and find a job instead so I could have my own money and everything. And it just so happened that the school was looking for a librarian, so," he shrugged, "I took the job. Simple as that."

"I see." Raven hummed in thought and looked down at her reflection into the blackness of the coffee in front of her. It sounded so easy when he said it like that. Graduated high school, found a job, lived a good life. She wondered how it'd be like. To live her life so freely. And she couldn't help but wonder if she'd even _survive _till the end of the school year… Would she ever experience a life like that? Would that be too much to ask? To not be the tool that brings the destruction of the world?

"Rae?" His soft voice and warm hand on her own snapped her out of her thoughts. "Everything okay?"

"Y-yeah… Yeah. Sorry." Subconsciously, she freed her hand from his to brush it through her hair, releasing a heavy sigh. "I guess, I'm still not fully awake, that's all." She let out a nervous chuckle, hoping the excuse would be enough for him not to pry any further, although she did feel some curiosity spark inside him.

"Fair enough." He nodded with a small smile and stood up from his seat, letting Raven release a sigh of relief. "Well, you can stay here and wake up for as long as you need. I'm doing inventory today, so no one will be coming in." He explained to her, motioning back to the sign at the library door he'd put up there the day before.

"Oh. Right. The first Friday of every month." She commented, as if remembering what day it even was today. Her birthday always felt so unbearably overwhelming, she hardly ever noticed things happening around her. And, more often than not, if she did notice them, they came to her as horrid visions. Sometimes even looking at people's faces was challenging. It always felt like the veil between this world and the underworld- or _hell_\- opened and she was standing right at the edge of it. Not quite here, but not quite there either. She hated it. She hated this day… All she wanted was for it to pass already.

But she somehow felt safer at the library. She'd always loved the peace and quiet of it. And even when she couldn't bear being among other people, Sebastian made her feel welcome. She loved his company and enjoyed their conversations. It was _refreshing _to talk to someone who _understood_.

"Hey!" Raven then suddenly called out to him before he could disappear behind the endless rows of bookcases, making him stop in his tracks and turn around. "Need a hand?"

"Your hand is always appreciated." Sebastian nodded with a smile and beckoned for her to follow him.

* * *

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

"We're clo-! Oh." Sebastian ended his sentence abruptly after seeing who was standing on the other side of the glass door. "Rae, I think that's for you."

"Hm?" She raised an eyebrow in confusion and stepped from behind a section in the library to see the door. "Dick?"

They were only supposed to meet up for dinner and he seemed to be dressed up for it. Was it really _that _late already? Had he been trying to call her? _Where _was her phone? Oh _shit_. She'd left the sound off and forgotten all about it. No wonder he was standing here right now.

"I am so sorry." Raven was quick to apologize right after unlocking the door for him as he gave her a knowing look.

"I've been calling you for the past two hours. Bruce and Alfred too." He almost sounded like he was scolding her, though his voice had a hint of worry _and_ relief to it.

"I know. I'm sorry. I must've left my phone in my bag." She explained and headed right over to the desk she'd been sitting at before, digging through her bag to find the phone, scolding herself for not noticing it sooner.

"It's my fault, really." Sebastian then stepped closer to the two as well. "I kept her busy here all day."

"Don't be _ridiculous_. I _wanted _to be here." Raven shook her head and scrolled through all the unanswered messages and phone calls once she finally got her phone. "I'll be right back." And with that, she walked past the two young men to call Bruce back.

"Richard." The older male smiled at the other, but it was clear Dick wasn't as happy to see him.

"_Sebastian_." He almost had to refrain himself from gritting his teeth with the greeting.

"So- Annual birthday dinner, huh?" He ignored the venomous look he was getting from Dick and offered him a smile instead, trying to make smalltalk while Raven was on the phone.

"Yes."

"Sorry I forgot all about it and didn't keep track of time to remind her."

"Not your fault."

"Well- Anywhere special this year?"

"The usual."

"Ah I see. I guess she really likes that place, huh?"

"She does." With the curt answers Dick was giving him though, Sebastian didn't have a lot to go on, no matter how much he tried. It was always like that between them. But he didn't seem to be bothered. Thankfully, Raven returned soon enough.

"Sorry again." She offered Dick an apologetic smile. "Can you give me like thirty minutes to get back to my room and change?"

"Of course." He smiled back at her and waited for her to grab her stuff before the two of them left the library.

"You still don't like him." Raven spoke once they were far enough for Sebastian to not hear them.

"Nope." Well, at least he was honest about it.

"But why? He's a nice person."

"He's a creep, that's what he is. Especially with a last name like that-"

"His last name has _nothing_ to do with him as a person." She frowned at him for coming up with such a _weak_ excuse.

"Oh yeah? Try telling someone "Oh hello, this is mister Blood, your _librarian_", see how they react."

"You don't _choose _your last name, Dick. One might have the worst last name, but they could be the kindest person you know. Who are _you _to judge a book by its cover?"

Deep inside he knew she was right and he couldn't explain his dislike towards the guy better than coming up with lame excuses like this one. But he'd had a _hunch_ about him ever since they met on their first year of high school and he could never brush it off. It was just _there_, at the back of his mind. And it bothered him to no end. _Especially _because Raven chose to spend so much time with him.

"_You_ like him though, don't you?" He suddenly blurted out without much thinking. And once again, she was taken aback for a moment, but actually managed to compose herself enough for a quick answer.

"He's nice to me." She replied simply, not realizing it didn't answer his question in any way. But she avoided being too direct about it, she supposed.

"So what? _I'm_ nice to you too." He raised an eyebrow at her.

"You're my _brother_." She scowled.

"Adoptive."

"What's that supposed to mean, Dick?" She frowned at him, completely and utterly confused by this conversation and the sudden implications from him. But he only looked at her and let out a soft laugh.

"Nothing." He mused with a smile on his face and stopped by the girls' dorms once they were there. "I'll wait for you here."

"B-but-"

"Thirty minutes, Raven. We have reservations, remember?" He didn't let her argue with him any longer. Still baffled, the girl finally gave in and disappeared into the building, her cheeks red as a tomato and her brows furrowed in a frown. Maybe he had let it go a bit too far this time… _Way to be inconspicuous and not weird about it, Dick._


	4. Celebrate

"You're _nervous_." Raven eyed him as they made their way to the restaurant door, but stopped before they reached it.

"What?" Dick let out an incredulous laugh. "Nervous? Noo. Why would I be nervous?"

"You tell _me_." She raised an eyebrow at him, not buying his smile for even a _second_. Something was off and she _knew _it. His emotions gave it away, even if he didn't realize it.

"Come on, Rae. There's nothing-"

"What did you do?" But as soon as she finished the sentence, a sudden realization struck her. Her frown turned into a shock as she turned her head towards the restaurant, feeling a _flood _of anticipation coming from there. "No…" She gasped softly.

"I didn't do anything"- Dick's explanations were cut short when the girl suddenly turned on her heel and started walking in the other direction. "W-wait- Where are you going?"

"I'm not going in there, Dick."

"But _why_? Rae," he sighed and caught up to her, gently grabbing her by the wrist, "_please_, just give it a chance."

But she was really having none of it. Turning to face him, she frowned, her eyes becoming dark with anger.

"It was supposed to be only _me _and _you_. Maybe even _Bruce _if he showed up on time for once. _What_ is going on in there right now?" Freeing herself from his grip, she used her free hand to poke at his chest. "You _know_ better than anyone else in this damn world that you can't _hide _these things from me. So you better spit it out."

"Okay, fine, _fine_." Dick raised his hands in defense and sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair while the other rested on his hip. "I didn't plan for any of this. It was Wally's idea-"

"_Wally's_?"

"Y-yeah… He said- Well, it's your 18th birthday and it's our last year together in this school and perhaps even in this _city_, so… He wanted to celebrate all the little things for as long as we still can. And I mean"- A shrug rolled off his shoulders as he looked at her with a hopeful gleam in his eyes- "I agree with him."

A part of her wanted to argue with him. To say that they could still be friends and hang out even after they graduate. But she knew that _realistically_ chances of that happening once they go their separate ways were slim. They could fool themselves thinking that things wouldn't change after high school, but the reality of life would set in sooner or later.

As much as she didn't want to admit it, Wally and Dick were right. She didn't have a lot of friends to begin with. Most of the people she knew was thanks to Dick. Or thanks to her last name. And she didn't spend nearly enough time with the few friends she did have, feeling as though she didn't quite fit in. It never felt like _her_ group of friends. But… This might be her last chance to _make _it hers. To feel like she belonged somewhere. Before it all went to shit.

"Did you _really_ have to choose this day for celebration?" Her features slowly softened and Dick could swear he saw the corner of her lips tug into a smile, which made him smile in return.

"Hey, it's not _my_ fault your birthday fell on a Friday this year, which is the _perfect_ day for celebrating." He then offered her to grab onto his hand and turned back to the restaurant. "It's just this one night, Rae. It'll be fine."

Somehow his words weren't exactly reassuring. She knew how all these _it'll be fine_ turned out in the past. But maybe… Maybe she had just a _bit_ of a hope in her heart. She wanted for it to be there anyway.

"Alright, alright." The girl sighed in defeat and took his arm, trying to ignore the cheerful smile Dick gave her, pleased by the outcome of this conversation.

"Glad to see you opened your present." He simply commented with that smile still on his face as they were making their way back to the restaurant.

"Oh. Yeah." Her hand subconsciously reached for the small red diamond shaped pendant hanging around her neck in a golden chain. "It's beautiful. I figured it fit the occasion." She smiled and glanced at him from the corner of her eyes to see him practically _glow_ with happiness, making her release a quiet chuckle.

"Oh and"- he then suddenly remembered once they'd reached the door again- "_try_ to look surprised, okay?"

* * *

"I call for a toast!" Wally stood up from his seat, his glass of juice high up in the air as he smiled brightly at the rest of the group.

"Another one?" Donna raised an eyebrow at the redhead.

"We're not even _drinking _for you to make so many toasts, man." Vic only laughed, but wasn't exactly opposed to the idea of a toast. Wally's humor was good enough for a laugh after all.

"Exactly. There's no harm in that then." He grinned at his friend and raised the glass a bit higher, his attention now turned to Raven.

"What haven't we had a toast for yet though?" Dick let out a chuckle and followed Wally's gaze over to Raven.

"Well, for this _special_ occasion, of course! The first _ever_ Raven birthday party." The redhead proudly pointed the glass to the girl in question.

"And probably the last one too if you don't stop yammering about." Dick teased his friend and shook his head, receiving a thankful look for Raven. The last thing she wanted from all of this was to bring more attention to them than they already did. But she was also grateful for everyone that had come. Even Kory freed some time even though she had a cheerleader practice and Gar with his endless school plays that he seemed to be constantly rehearsing for. Not even talking about Vic, who was the leader of the football team, and Donna, who was running the photography club.

"Aw come on, don't be a party pooper." Wally pouted at him before turning his attention back to Raven again and winking at her. "Right, Raven?" There was no vocal response from her, but she did offer him a smile and a small nod, lifting her own glass up from the table.

"I do thank you all for coming together like this." Her blue eyes looked over everyone. "Cheers."

"Cheers!" They exclaimed in unison and took a sip of their drinks before returning to casual chatter. But however fun and peaceful the evening was, Raven couldn't shake the sense of dread off her shoulders. She hadn't even quite realized that she kept taking a look around the restaurant and outside the window, she jumped a little every time the waiter came by and that every new customer rose suspicion to her. But Dick did.

"Rae?" He spoke in a hushed voice, scooting his chair a bit closer to her. "You okay?" But she only made a face at him, making him raise his eyebrows. "What? You look like you're expecting a ghost to walk through that door at any minute."

"Well, what if I was?" She looked at him in complete seriousness and Dick wasn't sure whether to laugh or be even more worried for her. A part of her didn't want him to worry, but another just wanted to get these things off of her chest. To share it with someone. But… It didn't feel like the right time. It never did.

"I'm fine, don't worry." She quickly gave him a smile, but it didn't convince even her. Still, he decided not to push it further for now.

"Everything good here? Anything else I can get for you?" The waiter had come by once again, slightly startling Raven. Only this time, her face went completely pale. As soon as she looked up at the man, a horrible chill went down her spine because what she saw was not a man at all. She was looking straight at a demon. A horned, four-eyed, red-skinned demon, speaking in a distorted voice. And her heart stopped. No! This was not real! Blinking several times, however, the man returned to his human self. But to say that it still left her shaken was an understatement.

"Rae…" He looked at her with a concerned expression and cocked his head to the side to look at her face.

"I'm _fine_." She repeated in a quiet breath, looking down and pressing her lips together, as if to hide the heavy breathing. Her hands were hiding underneath the table, clutching onto her black dress to stop them from shaking, as she tried to take quiet deep breaths to hopefully make her heart stop pounding in her chest. Seeing this behaviour though didn't make him feel any better.

"Rae, it's fine if you're not feeling okay, we can just-"

"Dick, will you-" She snapped back at him, but her sentence was cut short when she suddenly exclaimed in absolute horror and jumped back, literally falling out of her seat, which now brought everyone's attention to the scene. Worried looks and questions were aimed at her, but all she could see was a burning body looking down at her. The same burning body from her nightmares. But it felt so _real_ this time. She felt like the smoke was choking her and the heat was burning in her face. They were coming to life now. How was this possible?

"RaVEn, WhAT hApPeNEd?" A distorted voice rang in her ears and when she looked to her side, she saw Kory burning too as she tried to reach down to help her get up.

"No! Don't!" The girl exclaimed and stumbled up on her feet. _Everyone_ was burning. Looking at her with their hollow eyes. It was just a vision. But it… It was just real. _Too_ real. "I- I need to go." She barely managed to gasp out before she was already on her way to the door. She needed fresh air. To just get out of there and away from everyone. What was she even thinking? This had been a bad idea from the very start!

As soon as she exited the restaurant, she quickly walked around the corner and pressed against the brick wall, gasping for air, her hands rested on her knees as she stared down at the ground. But the air seemed just as dense here as it had been inside. A sudden chill rushed through her body and it made her look up again. Something… Some_one_ was there.

Walking back from around the corner, Raven turned her head to the restaurant. No, no one was there. Then turning her head in the other direction, she saw a person standing at the end of the street. A well-dressed man wearing a red suit, golden hair, a cold stare and _this_ incredibly sinister aura around him. Never before had this ever happened. What was it that she was seeing?

"Rae!" A voice snapped her out of her trance-like state and she turned around to see Dick, _not_ a burning corpse now, running towards her. "What happened? Are you alright?" His concern was very evident in his voice and he reached his hands to place on her shoulders.

"I… I found my ghost." She let out a chuckle, but the horror was still in her eyes as she looked at him. Hearing footsteps behind her though, she glanced back again. _He_ was approaching. Slowly. His hands in his pockets. Not saying a single word. "I need some space, Dick. Just… go back inside."

"B-but why?" He looked at her in confusion and then behind her, following her gaze. "Do you know him?" Now her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach, her head slowly turning back again to face him. Dick was looking _straight_ at the man behind her.

"Y-you can see him?" Her voice was just barely above a whisper, as she was just too shocked to even properly raise her voice. This _wasn't_ another one of her visions? But _how_? It had the same feeling around it. How was it that Dick could see it too?

"Now, now. Don't be so distraught, my child…"


End file.
